Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-11-21

times, like David, and like jeremiah, and
like Cowper, and like Alexander Cruden,
and like ten thousand other invalids, be
playing a Dead March on the same organ
with which now you play Toccata- My
object at this point is not only to enolli-
ate the criticisms of the well against those
in poor health, but to show Cheistian
people who are atrabilarious what is the
matter with them. Do not charge against
the heart the crimes Of another portion OF
your organism. Do not conclude that be-
cause the path of heaven is not arbored
with as fine foliage, or the banks beauti-
fully showed under with exquisite chrys-
anthemUms rs once, that therefore You are
on the wrong road. The ruad will bring
you out at the same gate, whether you
walk with the
STRIDE OF AN ATHLETE
or come up on crutches. Thousands OF
Christians morbid about their experiences
and morbid about their business, and NOR
bid about the present, and morbid about
the future, need the sermon | am now
preaching.
.a-Anether practical use of this subject il
for the young, The theory is abroad that
they must first SOW their wild oats, and
afterwards Michigan wheat. Let me break
the delusion. Wild oats are generally sown
in the liver, and they can never be pulled
up. They so preoccupy! that organ that
there is no room for the implantation of a
righteous crop. You see aged men about
us at eighty, erect, agile, splendid, grand
old men. How much wild oats did they
SOW between eighteen years and thirty?
None, absolutely none.
Stephen A. Douglas gave the name OF
"sqnatter sovereignty" TO those who went
out West aud took possession of lands and
held them by right of preoccupation. Let
q flock ofsins settle on your heart before
yo,. get to be twenty five years of age, and
they will in all probability keep possession
of it by an Internal squatter sovereignty.
II promise TO pay at the bank five hun.
dred dollars in six months from date, "
says the promissory note. 81 promise to
pay my life thirty years from date at the
bank of the grave, y says every iniractiOn of
the laws of your physical being.
What? Will mans body never com.
pletely recover from early dissipation in
this world? Never. How about the
world to come? Perhaps God will fix il
up in the resurrection body so that il will
not have to 20 limping through all etern-
ity; but get the liver thoroughly damaged
and it will stay damaged. Physicians call
it cancer of the liver, or hardening of the
liver, or cirrhosis of the liver, or inham-
nation of the liver, or fatty degeneration OF
the liver, but Solomon put all these pangs
INTO ONE FIGURE
and says: IT'LL the dart strike through
his liver"
Hesiod seemed to have some hint of this
when be represented Prometheus for his
crimes fastened TO a pillar and an eagle
feeding on his liver, which was renewed
again each night, so that the deyouring
went on until finally Hercules slew the
eagle, and rescued Prometheus. And a
dlssipated early life assures a ferocity
pecking away and clawing away At the
liver year in and year out, and Death is
the only Hercules who can break the
power of its bsak or unclench lis claw.
So also Virgil and Homer wrote fables
abont vultures preying upon the liver,
but there are those here to-day with whom
it is no fable. but terrific reality.
The young man smoking cigarettes and
smoking cigars has no idea that he is get
ting for himself smoked liver. That
young man has no idea that he has by
early dissipation so depleted his energies
that he will 90 into the battle only half
armed. Napoleon lost Waterloo days be-
fore it was fought. Had he attacked the
Engl.s sh army before it wac reinforced,
and taken it division by division, he might
have won the day, but he waited till he
had only one hundred thousand men
against two hundred thousand. And here
is a young man who, if be put all his forces
against the regiment of youthful temp'a-
tions, in the strength of God might drive
them back, hut he ia allowing them TO be
reinforced by the whole army of mid-life
temptations, and when all these combined
forces are massed against him and no
Grouchy comes to help him, and Blucher
has come to help his fees, what but i'm
mortal defeat can await him?
oh. my Young brother, do not make the
mistake that Thousands all around You are
making, in opening the battle against sin
too late, for this world too late, and for
world to come too late What brings that
express train from st. Louis to jersey
City three hours late? They lost fifteen
minutes early On the route, and that af-
fected them all the way, and they had TO
be switched off here and switched Cil
there, and detained here and detained
there, and the man who loses time and
strength in
THE EARLIER PART
Of the journey Of life will suffer for it all
the way through, the first twenty years Of
life damaging the following fifty.
Some years ago a scientific lecturer went
through the country exhibiting on great
canvas different parts Of the human body
when healthy, and different parts when
diseased. Aud what the world wants now
is some eloquent scientist to go through
the country showing to our young people
on blazing canvas the drnnkard's liver,
the idle1's liver, the libertine's the gam
bler's liver. Perhaps the spectacle might
stop some young man before he comes to
tflt HAlnb tdtt-tIOIuts dbb 'bp Nes SN''>
through his own liver.
Ny hearer, this is the first sermon you
have heard on the Gospel Of Health, and
it may be the last you will ever hear on
that subject, and charge yon in the name
of God, and Christ, and usefulness, and
eternal destiny, take better care Of your
health. When some Of you die, If your
friends put on your tombstone truthful
epitaph, il will read: ''He lies the victim
Of late suppers," or it will be: Behold
what chicken salad at midnight will do
for a man." or il will be: Ten cigars a
day closed my earthly existence" or il
will be: Sat down in n cold draught and
this is the result" or il will be: Il died
OF thin shoes last winter" or il will be:
"Weut without an overcoat and took this
last chill" or il will lie: Thought ]
could do at seventy what did at twenty,
and / am here" or it will be: Here Is
the consequence Of sitting a half day with
wet feet, or It will be: This Is where
have stacked my harvest Of wild oats, or,
instead Of words, the stone cutter will
ehisel for an epitaph on the tomstoDe two
figures: namely, a dart and liver.
There is q kind Of sickness tha. Is beau
tiful when il comes from overwork for
God, or ones country, or ones own lam
lily. have seen wounds
THAT WERE GLoRIoUs-
After the battle Of Antietam in the hospi